Strike indicators for fishing, including fly fishing and non-fly fishing, are known in the art. Typically, strike indicators are comprised of a buoyant material, and are large enough, and/or of suitable character (e.g., color, fluorescence, etc.), to be viewable at a operational distance by a fisherperson monitoring the indicator. Buoyant strike indicators, in operation, are designed to attachable to a fishing line, and thereby serve to suspend the line, with one or more attached fishing hooks or members at the end thereof, at a distance under the water corresponding to the length of line between the hook member and the strike indicator attachment point. When a fish strikes the suspended hook(s), the strike indicator is correspondingly displaced at the surface, thereby signaling the fisherperson to respond, typically by ‘setting’ the hook into the fish using appropriate rod/line action. Therefore, such strike indicators function as a strike indicator, and also may, in particular instances, serve as a fishing depth positioning means.
To be operationally viewable, strike indicators are typically larger than the line ‘guides’ of a fishing rod (particularly the guides of fly rods, which are relatively small) and are typically attached at a fixed position along the fishing line. Therefore, without fisherperson intervention and removal of the attached indicator, the attached line is only retrievable through the guides of a fishing rod to the point of attachment of the strike indicator. For some fishing situations, this line retrieval limitation may not present a problem, because the length of line from the strike indicator attachment point to the hook(s) is less than or roughly equal to the rod length, enabling sufficient retrieval of line so that a hooked fish can be maneuvered to a position close enough for effective capture by the fisherperson. However, the line retrieval problem caused by prior art strike indicators is severe in many situations, and particularly in low-profile constrained contexts (e.g., boat or float-tube fishing), involving fishing with a hook suspended on a line from a strike indicator at depths that significantly exceed that of the rod length. Specifically, where the fishing depth exceeds the rod length, the line is not retrievable beyond the strike indicator attachment point (the strike indicator cannot pass through the line guides), and the distance from the rod tip to a hooked fish may be much greater than the rod length, making capture of the fish difficult if not impossible in low-profile and/or constrained fishing contexts. This substantial limitation not only reduces the number of fish catchable within a given time period because of loss of fish, but often results in harm to hooked fish because of the non-optimal capture conditions (hooked fish too far from the rod tip). While strike indicators that can be repositioned are known in the art, such repositioning is typically done by the fisherperson, and, practically speaking, cannot be effectively done once a fish has been hooked and the fisherperson and the fish are operationally engaged in an excited state.
One known approach to providing a strike indicator that is more easily slidable is the adjustable Frog Hair™ EZ-ON indicator (Gamma Technologies, Pittsburgh, Pa.), designed to be manually adjustable by sliding along a length of ‘tippet’ material. This approach is based on inserting line ‘tippet’ consecutively through two elastic positioning retainers that are retained at and within opposite ends of the axial bore of a buoyant indicator body (see FIG. 9). The elastic retainers enable the indicator to be forcibly repositioned along the leader, while providing sufficient gripping pressure against the leader to maintain its position. This system, however, has substantial drawbacks, because, due to the nature of the elastic positioning retainers, they become worn and cannot be reused, and the indicator cannot be reinstalled after removal from the leader (at least without obtaining new retainers and threading tippet therethrough using a special wire-loop threading tool). Additionally, while being slidably adjustable, these indicators are not quick release, and such adjustment is by means of significant force applied by the fisherperson, and does not enable, for example, practical repositioning of the indicator during a fish ‘hook-up’ when fish and fisherperson are actively engaged. Moreover, the elastic positioning retainers cannot pass over knots (e.g., ‘blood’ knots) that are typically found in most leaders being used, and even if they could their gripping character would be degraded, thereby rendering the indicator effectively useless in a short time.
A known approach to providing a releasable and slidable strike indicator is a quick release indicator (Waters West, Port Angeles, Wash.) designed to release in response to a fish ‘hook-up.’ This approach is based on inserting line ‘tippet’ consecutively through the axial bores of an foam-based (Styrofoam™-based) indicator and a black plastic stopper, forming a tippet loop in the tippet at a position between the indicator and the stopper, tucking a portion of the tippet loop into a stopper-receiving slot of the indicator, and inserting the stopper into the stopper receiving slot, thereby wedging, by pressure, the tucked tippet portion between the wall of the receiving slot and the stopper to reversibly attach the indicator stopper combination to the line tippet (see FIGS. 8A and 8B). With a fish ‘hook-up,’ the tension in the line increases and frees the tucked loop, thereafter allowing the indicator and stopper to freely slide along the fishing line. However, there are substantial drawbacks to this solution, including the fact that it is difficult, if not impossible, upon repeated use, to consistently wedge the tippet loop with a reproducible amount of force to provide the right amount of tension for triggering release on ‘hook-up.’ This is because, even if one were able to insert the stopper with consistent force into the receiving slot of the indicator, the amount of the tippet loop thereby wedge varies from event to event, and even more problematic, the amount of force required to effectively wedge the loop is enough to cause the loop material to deteriorate (e.g., deform, gouge, etc.) the wall of the receiving slot, giving rise to inconsistent and progressively deteriorating performance of the indicator system. Additionally, there is no provision for re-attaching the indicator at a set line position from one ‘hook-up’ to another to allow for reproducibly fishing at a set depth, and there is no provision (except the hook and the lines guides of the rod) to limit the slidable range. Moreover, because of the necessity to wedge enough stopper and tippet loop surface areas against the receiving slot wall to provide sufficient resistance to preclude inadvertent release events, the stopper and receiving slot must be of a sufficient size, thereby defining a minimum size (e.g., no such indicators are marketed that are smaller than about ½ inches to about ⅜ inches in diameter). Furthermore, the high profile of the stopper and the asymmetric design of the indicator/stopper combination are less than desirable in terms of line-fouling characteristics.
Therefore, there is a pronounced need in the art for strike indicators that are more easily and consistently disengagable from an attendant line or leader, and that are substantially more reusable. There is a pronounced need in the art for strike indicators that are disengagable by means other than direct contact or mediation by a fisherperson. There is a pronounced need in the art for strike indicators that are more easily and consistently disengagable, and thereafter readily slidable along a fishing line. There is a pronounced need in the art for a strike indicator system that is slidable along a fishing line within a user-settable defined range along a fishing line and/or leader. There is a pronounced need in the art for a strike indicator system that enables more effective and reproducible fishing with a strike indicator at depths significantly greater than the rod length.